Feeling stuck in current job

Feeling pretty stuck in my current role and not sure how to move forward. I have a bit over a year of pretty solid IB experience at a good bank and then went to strategic finance role at a relatively well known large company. My current role has definitely been much better work-life balance and the culture / people are great, but it feels very slow and stagnant compared to the pace and progress in banking. I admittedly was not in a great place during banking and really wanted wlb but now feeling antsy about getting stuck in corporate at a relatively junior level. The work itself has also gotten less interesting over time due to the current economic climate focusing less on the market / growth strategy that I was interested in and into projects dealing more with nitty-gritty accounting level work focusing on operations and costs. I did really like the deal process and valuation work in banking and thought a higher level strategy type role would've been interesting but I do also miss some of the more pure technical finance application as well. I also really do enjoy following the markets which wasn't directly my role in banking obviously but is basically nonexistent in corporate.

In my position, I'm not sure what would make sense next. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to move to another corporate, even in a more M&A / technical role, as I think the pace still isn't quite the same as financial services. I am very young but it feels like many doors that I previously had in banking would be shut now. I've thought about going back to IB (not anytime soon in the current landscape) or trying to use my past banking experience for some sort of investing roles though currently being in a corporate role will definitely add a hurdle to making that switch. Obviously not MF/UMM PE but if there's any sort of LMM/MM PE or public investing roles still possible I would definitely be interested in that route. I am also hesitant about moving onto a third job and the implications there on my resume. I have thought about b-school but the cost makes me wary unless i have a very specific plan. I would greatly appreciate any advice or personal anecdotes on what others have done if in similar situations.

Comments (4)

  • Quant in Non-profit
4mo 

Feeling similar way, working in corp dev and slowly marching to a slow corporate death. Sometimes 5+ years to get promoted to the next level only to receive an unimpressive bump in pay. Us corporate folk get boxed in pretty quickly if you're not careful.

Definitely a bummer, but once the hiring market bounces back I'm sure you'll have options given you have what sounds like a marketable background. Especially if it was all within the same industry (coverage group / corporate industry). Maybe industry-focused consulting or PE PortCo operations? Those are 2 paths I think could be interesting and might offer slightly better wlb than the IB grind.

  • 1
  • Analyst 2 in IB-M&A
4mo 

Hey man, appreciate the response. I'm wary of straying further away from financial services and hoping to get back in and thinking moreso how to make that transition in my story. I thought about consulting but think it's too qualitative and honestly not enjoying ops related work to go further down that path. Might need an mba reset at some point but would prefer not to. Also worried about the job hopping rep if I leave this job too soon but also as you said the longer I stay the more it feels like it traps you. 

  • 1
  • Analyst 2 in IB-M&A
2mo 

Iste similique aut deserunt asperiores accusamus itaque. Aliquid neque nesciunt molestiae possimus soluta autem rerum. Praesentium laboriosam deserunt vero minus debitis laboriosam ut. Sunt totam labore eligendi. Enim consequuntur rerum consequatur est consequatur labore aliquam eligendi.

Odit culpa et et repellendus laborum dolor magnam. Ea molestiae modi ab aut. Est vitae odit ratione ex. Est voluptatem fugit ea rem eos numquam dolorem.

Start Discussion

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2023 Investment Banking

  • Lincoln International (▲01) 99.6%
  • Jefferies & Company (▽01) 99.1%
  • William Blair (▲12) 98.7%
  • Financial Technology Partners (▽01) 98.2%
  • Lazard Freres (+ +) 97.8%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2023 Investment Banking

  • William Blair (▲04) 99.5%
  • Lincoln International (▲11) 99.1%
  • Canaccord Genuity (▲18) 98.6%
  • Stephens Inc (▲12) 98.2%
  • Financial Technology Partners (▲09) 97.7%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2023 Investment Banking

  • Lincoln International (▲01) 99.5%
  • Financial Technology Partners (▲06) 99.1%
  • Jefferies & Company (▽02) 98.6%
  • Lazard Freres (▲15) 98.2%
  • UBS AG (▲19) 97.7%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2023 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (6) $592
  • Vice President (32) $396
  • Associates (148) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (11) $198
  • 1st Year Analyst (279) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (91) $170
  • Intern/Summer Associate (46) $166
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (206) $93